This Ship Will Carry Our Bodies Safe to Shore
by anysecretsworthmytime
Summary: Annie is reaped in the Hunger Games, leaving her family and the boy she thinks she must love to fight for her life against twenty-three others. Title comes from the Of Mice and Men song 'Little Talks' which I don't own I know the summary isn't brilliant but please give it a read.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is the first thing that I've written that I've put up on here so I'd really love to hear some feedback! I hope you enjoy reading this and I guess we'll see where it goes! **

**Not entirely sure how I'll do this yet but I'm considering splitting the POV between Annie and Finnick**

**Also, as I'm British I hope I don't annoy any readers with the way a very few of the words are spelt but that's how we're taught over here**

**Dislaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games trilogy or any of the characters unless they are of my own creation. **

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It feels like an eternity of silence as Ariadna Renoyd plunges her hand into the glass bowl that holds the security of the future of every girl but one in District 4 aged between twelve and eighteen.

My eyes fall to the ground fixing on my feet, memorising the exact shade of brown my new shoes are. They are really pretty, a present from my mother and I remember the happiness I felt when presented with them. Presents are expensive and a rarity especially in my family that has so many mouths to feed and so little income and so I greatly treasure such a gift.

I keep this in mind as I try not to think about how many times my name is now in that bowl at age seventeen, or how many times Kate's name is in it by her forth reaping or even Sam who I would not allow to take out a tesserae as this is only his first reaping and we will get by without the added risk of him being swept away at twelve. It has been necessary for Kate and I to put our names in more times for the tesserae as there are five of us to be provided for and it has been six years since father did not come home from sea.

I do not have to be a mathematical genius to know that as opposed to many of my friends the odds are not in my favour.

I grit my teeth and take to repeating my mantra over and over in my head while waiting for Ariadna to seal the almost inevitable death of one of us.

_Please don't let it be me, please don't let it be Kate, please don't let it be me, please don't let it be Kate. Oh God please don't let it be someone I care about..._

A clear voice cuts through the air like a knife.

"Annie Cresta."

I remember, when Kate and I were younger our father took us up the sand dunes, to where a make shift slide had been made hollowed out of the sand and made from old plastic. It is one of those secret places that have been there for years but only certain people are fortunate enough to find. This slide runs from the top of a very steep sand hill right down to the shoreline, my father used to go there with his brothers and I think that's why Kate and I are tougher than the average girls of our district. Our father had wanted to raise boys and in the past few years we've had to grow up very quickly. When I slid down the 'dune slide' for the first time it felt as if I'd left my stomach at the top of the slope as I flew towards the sea.

This is how I feel now as my head shoots up and I gape at the stage, certain there's been a mistake. My stomach has dropped to the ground and my whole body suddenly feels very cold. People are beginning to part in front of me but I remain rooted to the spot. It has suddenly hit me how wrong this is. I'm meant to grow up, marry someone, have children, walk along the beach at sunset, have my own home and grow old.

I am meant to grow old.

Now I am dead at 17.

I look around at the girls, who are now moving away from me as if I carry an infectious disease, my eyes pleading with them. These are girls I've known for years, some are my friends but now no one wants to meet my eye. It hits me that this is really happening and there's no way out.

"Miss Cresta?"

Ariadna is looking at me questionably, beaming as if she's just given me the best news not a death sentence.

I nod numbly and feel my feet carry me forward shakily reaching the stage and standing next to her just in front of this year's mentors. I wipe my palms on my dress and look down at the crowd, almost immediately meeting Kate's gaze. She is close enough that I can see the tears streaming down her face; I feel a shock run through me because we were raised to be stronger than this, Kate and I. I can feel an unfamiliar stinging behind my own eyes at the sight of her anguish and at the thought of the anguish that my mother and brothers will be feeling now.

Suddenly anger courses through me. It is the Capitol that has put me here; it is the Capitol that is causing my family to lose another member. I resolve this very moment that it is the Capitol that will not gain the satisfaction of seeing me break.

I swallow and raise my head looking over the crowd, toward the horizon where I know the waves are cashing down on the shore and the sun reflects on the water causing it to sparkle and shimmer as if a thousand diamonds are somehow floating on the surface. I am not sure if I look defiant or simply dazed.

The male victor is chosen next and I have barely enough time to pray for Sam's safety before our escort's rich capitol accent announces that Alex Oliver, a confident looking 16 year old I vaguely recognise from the fish market has been chosen.

Relief pours over me that no one I care about has been chosen before immediately being replaced by guilt because Alex has a family too. Alex has people that love him who will be looking on in horror and Alex is a person whose life has suddenly just veered off course because everyone knows that only one person makes it out of the Hunger Games alive.

There are twenty four tributes; you don't have to be a math genius to know that the odds are not in the favour of 23 of us.

I am dragged out of my thoughts abruptly by the clearing of a throat to my left, I turn to see previous victor and now mentor Finnick Odair shooting me an amused look and raising his eyebrows at something beyond me. Following the direction of his gaze I feel my face warm up as I realise that Alex has his hand outstretched to me clearly waiting for me to shake it and everyone else is staring expectantly.

I immediately shake his hand feeling embarrassed with no way of telling how long everyone had been waiting for me, a few more words from Ariadna, then it is over and we are being led into the justice building.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hiyya, I'm back! Sorry it took a while to update! I'd love to know what you think.**

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I am shown into a large room with a settee and a table pushed against the wall. There is a long window on the wall opposite the door that looks out over the fish market. It feels empty and cold and I pull at my cardigan wrapping it more tightly around my upper frame.

It's funny how much you take for granted in life. If I could just go back to early this morning I would have walked along the beach once more. If I could somehow undo this I would never take little things, such as just being able to stand in complete silence and peace able to count all God's blessings for granted.

I would play with my brothers and help my mother with a happy heart… these thoughts lead to a stinging behind my eyes and I swallow. Deep down I know that if I had not been reaped today then nothing would have changed. I didn't take into account how lucky I was before because you never really do.

Abruptly I am brought out of my thoughts as the door is flung open and a body crashes into me, arms thrown around my neck my sister's head is against my shoulder, her curls cascading down her back and shaking with the rest of her body as she attempts to control her sobbing. I hold on to her with the same resolve not to break in front of anyone I care about as before. Looking up I see mother standing in the door way, with Oliver in her arms and Max clutching her skirt and looking at me with his large brown eyes. My hold on Kate tightens and my eyes squeeze shut, do not break, do not break, do not break.

When Kate finally releases me, it's the boys turn. Oliver is far too young to understand what is going on and I can tell that Max is also struggling to process. So I hug them quickly and tightly trying to commit their feel to memory but not wanting to upset them. As I swoop Oliver up holding him out at arm's length pulling funny faces to make him laugh I see mother speaking lowly to Kate from the corner of my eye. She nods and looks up catching my eye. I put Oliver down as she walks back over. She pulls me into her embrace again for what we both are all too aware could be the last time.

"Someone has to win Ann", she whispers fiercely into my ear. "That person could be you, promise me you'll try to make that person you." She's drawing back as she finishes looking into my eyes expectantly. All I can do is nod because if I open my mouth I will surely burst into tears. I see relief in her eyes as she squeezes my hand and lets it drop to fall limply at my side. She turns and calls Max to her side while picking Olly up and heads for the door but not before she looks back one final time her fingers hovering over the door handle.

"We love you Ann."

And then they're gone.

I turn to my mother who simply holds out her arms to me with a look of poorly hidden heart break. I run to her burrowing my head in her chest and hold on for dear life, swallowing sob after sob because you can only be strong for so long. I am not invincible. She strokes my hair soothingly. Realising I am wasting precious time I force myself to calm down and stand up wiping at my eyes and forcing a smile onto my face. It is only now that I see she has been crying too.

"It's ok, Mama. Who knows maybe I can win." We both know how unlikely this is yet we say nothing of it.

An impatient knock on the door reminds us that time is almost up and she grabs onto my shoulders urgently forcing me to look at her as we hear the peacekeepers come in.

"Do whatever you have to Annie, whatever you have to do to survive. But don't let them change you sweetheart." She is wrenched away from me. "You are strong, you shine like the sunshine, don't let them ever take that away."

She has to yell over her shoulder because they are leading her away now and perhaps I'll never see her again.

All I want is to yell something back. I want her to know how much I love them, how I'll do anything for them. I need to say something but the door is being slammed in my face and I am thrown back into the loneliness with only the sound of the echo bouncing off the walls.

Forcing myself to take deep breaths, my body falls back onto the settee which is surprisingly uncomfortable but then appearances can be deceiving. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Why have I not been collected for the train yet? A sudden clutch of hope grasps my heart, perhaps they've forgotten me or don't need me anymore, I could run out of the justice building and catch up with my family and we could go home and have a picnic on the beach and everything could go back to how it was before. This new hope dies as quickly as it is born. Of course the capitol aren't going to let you go now they have you Annie. I tell myself dully letting my head fall into my hands but it jerks back up a moment later as the door is being opened again.

I first feel confusion, then joy, then guilt at who comes through the door. Sam is tall and loved by everyone, we have grown up together and everyone including me has just assumed that one day we will get married and have a family. I know that Sam makes me laugh and I care a lot about him, this must be love. Although I have not spared him a thought today and I wonder if maybe I should have.

He rushes forward sadness clouding his eyes.

"Oh Annie", he says taking my hand like Kate had done only minutes before and it is this memory that causes me to pull my hand from his grip. I think I see a glimmer or hurt cross his features but then it is gone so maybe I imagined it.

"I don't know how I'll manage without you." He continues earnestly, "I can't believe this has happened to us." He doesn't bother to downplay his emotion and I can easily read how devastated he is and I am struck with a need to comfort him. This causes me to feel a twinge of anger because shouldn't it be the other way round? He reaches for my hands again and I almost reluctantly take them.

He's looking deeply into my eyes, with a look so intense I begin to feel uncomfortable and suddenly I know what he is going to say before he has opened his mouth. I am not sure if I want to hear it. Not now.

"Annie I have to say it just once," he says tenderly reaching up to push a curl which has escaped from my bun, behind my ear.

Is this how it's meant to feel? Maybe I've built it up too much in my head.

"I love you. I've always loved you and I need you to come back for me. I need you Annie."

"I love you too". It comes automatically and I know it's true, this is Sam of course I love him. But I barely see his relief and joy before he too is being ushered out the room and I am yet again left with my thoughts my head reeling with unwanted emotion. The fact that I have just been reaped takes the blame for my lack of elation I decide.

This is reality I realise, as the peacekeepers come back into take me away from District 4, things aren't like they were a thousand years ago. The time has come to let go of the fairy-tale pretences because with them I know I won't survive.


End file.
